Watch The Tiny Desk Contest Judges’ Favorite Entries

Plus, a Tiny Desk (home) concert from Hiatus Kaiyote.

View this email online by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna NPR When we open up submissions to the Tiny Desk Contest each year, we’re looking for the next great undiscovered artist to come play a Tiny Desk concert. We get thousands of entries from across the country — and even though there’s only one winner, we see tons of incredible entries and hear dozens of unforgettable songs each year.  So last year, we started a new series called Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf to highlight those artists. Once a week, live on YouTube, our Tiny Desk Contest judges join us to talk about their favorite entries. This year, we kicked things off with a conversation between this year’s two judges from NPR Music’s staff: Tiny Desk creator Bob Boilen and Tiny Desk producer Bobby Carter. Next, singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers — who has performed three Tiny Desks at NPR HQ and a Tiny Desk (home) concert — joined Bob to share the entries that impressed her. And this week, rapper Tobe Nwigwe chatted with Bobby about a handful of standout songs. We’ll be sharing new episodes of Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf through the end of August, leading up to the announcement of our winner. You can set reminders to join us Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET/ 12 p.m. PT on YouTube, or sign up to get email reminders from NPR Presents. Big dreams, Tiny Desk, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna  Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music At the end of each month, All Songs Considered takes a step back from uncovering brand new songs to share our team’s favorite recent releases. In the July of this list, we found solace from veterans (Billy Bragg) and newcomers (Canary Room) alike, witnessed personal transformations from IDK and WILLOW and heard an angel become mortal in a collaboration between Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine. On this week’s New Music Friday podcast from All Songs Considered, Robin Hilton spotlights Abstract Mindstate, who might just be the greatest rap duo you’ve never heard of, along with a stirring new response to the climate crisis from Max Richter and the beautifully dark (and often unsettling) sounds of Lingua Ignota.  Billie Eilish’s new album, Happier Than Ever, is a quieter, more subtle collection that examines her relationships, reputation and place in the world. Alt.Latino’s Anamaria Sayre and Louder Than A Riot’s LaTesha Harris joined our colleague Stephen Thompson on the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast to discuss Eilish’s pivot and the ways she and her brother have transformed pop since their Grammys sweep.  Adia Victoria has spent years exploring how the heavy air of the South shapes its people; on “Magnolia Blues,” her voice lifts from a slow moan to a quiet roar. That, plus a previously unreleased track from Babs at the dawn of her career and a Jay-Z cover from the German group Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, are some of the songs we our team covered on #NowPlaying this week. Featuring On Thirstier, Mackenzie Scott’s ravishing fifth album as Torres, the songwriter bends pop music's tropes and techniques to her will to wrestle with the high stakes of long-term romance. “This is about the love of my life,” she tells NPR Music contributor Jewly Hight. Brothers Ron and Russell Mael have made music as Sparks for more than five decades, mostly under the radar despite superstar fans (including Bob Boilen). Now, a new documentary and the Leos Carax musical film Annette have put them in the spotlight. This week, our friends at Jazz Night in America shared highlights from Charlie Porter’s 2019 set at Montavilla Jazz Festival. On the most recent episode of Amplify With Lara Downes, Lara speaks with journalist, Project Runway judge and The Talk host Elaine Welteroth and musician and producer Jonathan Singletary about their epic love story — including "Never Like This," a love song Singletary recently wrote for Welteroth.  This week, our friends at KUTX shared a set by the London-based band PREP. Tiny Desk NPR "I'm a treasure hunter at heart," says Hiatus Kaiyote’s lead singer, Nai Palm, as a way of explaining the extremely tricked-out setup of the band’s studio for its Tiny Desk (home) concert. The performance includes selections from the group’s new album, Mood Valiant. Also this week: Dinosaur Jr. treated fans to a set that included two classic tracks from the first decade of the group’s towering career, plus songs from the new Sweep It Into Space, in a (home) concert recorded from the stage of an empty Shea Theater in Turners Falls, Mass. One More Thing We’re rooting for you, “rave horse.” Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy